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Sunday, April 29, 2012

Proceso Journalist Murdered: Third Veracruz Reporter Killed in 1 Year

Associated Press

VERACRUZ, Mexico—The body of a correspondent for leading
Mexican newsmagazine Proceso was found inside her home in Veracruz state
Saturday, and authorities think the journalist, who often wrote about drug
trafficking, was murdered.

Regina Martinez's body was found by police inside the
bathroom of her home in the state capital, Xalapa, and there were signs of
heavy "blows to her face and body," the state's Attorney General's
Office said in a statement. Authorities said initial evidence suggested she
died of asphyxiation.

Ms. Martinez was the Xalapa correspondent for Proceso, one
of Mexico's oldest and most respected investigative newsmagazines, and she
often wrote about drug cartels in the area.

Authorities provided no possible motive for her killing. But
recently Veracruz has been plagued by cartel violence, some of it between the
powerful Zetas and the so-called Jalisco Cartel New Generation, which is
believed to be linked to the Sinaloa cartel. The coastal state is also on a
human trafficking route north to the United States.

Veracruz Gov. Javier Duarte has ordered an exhaustive
investigation into her death, the statement said.

Police found Ms. Martinez's body after receiving a tip from
a neighbor that her house had been left open since early in the day.

In the past year, at least three journalists have been found
dead in Veracruz, including Ms. Martinez.

In July 2011, a reporter on police matters with the
newspaper Notiver, Yolando Ordaz de la Cruz, was found with her throat cut.

A month earlier, gunmen killed Miguel Angel Lopez Velasco, a
columnist and deputy editor with Notiver. He was shot together with his wife
and one of his children.

Media watchdogs considered Mexico one of the most dangerous
countries in which to be a journalist.

There is disagreement on the number of journalist killings.
Mexico's national human rights commission says 74 were slain from 2000 to 2011.
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists says 51 were killed in that
time.

Photo Credit: Of Ms. Martinez-LaJornada, Of Crime scene Proceso

Note: The following are the last articles written by Ms. Martinez and published yesterday. Possible motive? Proseco reported that Ms. Martinez was a victim of a recent burglary:

Last published by Regina Martinez Apro agency 'Proceso'

"Attorney investigates the death of the coordinator of the
Fas in Veracruz" (article #1)

Regina Martinez Xalapa, Veracruz, April 27 (approved). - The
Attorney General of the State (PGJE) investigates the cause of death of the
regional coordinator of the Social FA (FAS), Rogelio Martinez Cruz, which
occurred last Thursday 26. The Former leader
of PRD in Veracruzwas found dead in his
home, located on the Colonia Puente Roto at the port of Veracruz,where agents of the Ministerio Publico came
to testify to the facts. Following the ministerial diligence, the body was taken to the Forensic Medical
Service, for submission to an autopsy.

Without even knowing the autopsy result, authorities
ventured to give a first report in the sense that Martinez Cruz "died of
natural causes." This first assessment is at odds with the current version
of federal deputy candidate by the coalition "Progressive Movement",
Uriel Flores Aguayo, who said family members and witnesses revealed that the
house of the leader of FAS "was in disarray" and that personal
belongings were missing from the victim.While lamenting the death of his partner, Flores Aguayo called on the
authorities to make a thorough investigation of the facts……Link to full article

Regina Martinez Xalapa, Veracruz, April 27 (approved). -
Elements of theSecretaría
de Marina Armada deMexico (Semar) arrested nine policemen of
the municipality of Tres Valles, for alleged links to organized crime, pursuant
to a warrant drawn by the Attorney General of the state (PGJ). In a coordinated
effort among law enforcement agencies participating in the program Veracruz
Seguro, in the early hours today was carried out the arrest of the
officers of the municipality of Tres Valles, whose president (mayor) is Carlos Alberto Córdova Morales PAN.

This gave effect to a warrant-ministerial investigation
76/2012- against members of the local police unit, who were made available to
appropriate authorities, according to the PGJ. The preventive arrest of the
Tres Valles, a town located in the Papaloapan, came a day after troops of the
Marina and the Mexican Army arrested Maria Teresa Gonzalez Sanchez, identified
as the “Comandante Tere”, who along with
a group of sicarios attacked elements of the Municipal Police of Tierra Blanca,
which included a shootout.

In the attack last Wednesday
near a mall in Tierra Blanca, the command led by Gonzalez Sanchez, attempted to
kidnap the head of the municipal police…..Link to full article

24 comments:

Murder in Mexico,a daily occurance, not just journalist ,or women,or narco, why not? There is no Law,as a practical matter,so why not? People get killed every day,for many reasons,or for no reason, in a country where there are few consequences,so ,why not? Every time someone trys a reform its met with huge resistance, so thats Mexico where people are killed,Raped,kidnapped, daily, and there again why not,land of criminals run by criminals,feeding off a passive public,why not!

That fucking pig Reynaldo Escobar, it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if he had his hands in her murder. The whole government structure in this state, from the lowest municiapl boss, right up to that puto de mierda governer Duarte, is riddled completely with heavy handed corruption and narco connections.. A bveautiful legacy of Fidel Herrera and continued PRI control in almost every municipality in Veracruz..

Martinez reported the facts regarding efforts to clean up the Veracruz police, which invariably failed as more police are becoming criminals nearly as fast the corrupted were weeded from the forces. And Martinez keep on investigating. She knew the risks and did her readers favors spreading the news through Progreso which is heavily relied upon here at Borderland Beat. We don't need to mention the government officials have the same problem. Her death as all the previous journalists in Mexico before her is just a travesty. What becomes of the "exhaustive investigation", we'll see. I'd say nothing but why give up hope? All uncorrupted parts of the Mexican government (if there are any) should burn with shame at the loss of control of the country. This is a country not a colonia or county. The world watches Mexico which seems more third world in behavior every day! Mexico is too big and important to become so "Guatemala-like" -Get it together Mexico!

It is infuriating that Mx cannot give a dead count. How many narco related deaths? Officially 47-55k which most agree is grossly under the true number, I am often asked to guess a number IMO..I say X3.

Now in this post there is a journalist death count of 51-74, how difficult can it be to count dead journalists? Mexico simply will not give truth; everything is based on perception or anticipating perception....

Chivis - "It is infuriating that Mx cannot give a dead count. How many narco related deaths? Officially 47-55k which most agree is grossly under the true number, I am often asked to guess a number IMO..I say X3." It reminds me of a quote by Stalin, when he said the death of one man is a tragedy - but the death of millions is only a statistic". It may not be "millions" in Mexico, but the same sad logic it true in the case of thousands vs one.

threat is real attacks on USA infrastructure.saw the report on channel 5 krgv tv but krgv.com has not loaded it to the internet site yet.hope one of you writers pick up on it and run the story about the threat to the water system by drug cartels and traffickers.

"It is the phony drug war that is the cause. Americans will never stop doing drugs. Never"Never,ever,never,never,will the early hominids truly mature into the drug taking productive people we know they can become,as long as Americans continue on their ghastly and mutinous desire to rid the world of sexual aids.I,like you,grease up my backdoor for bi-curious pleasure.And the US is to blame for every ill,known to mankind,including their diabolical plan to liberate the pygmy marmoset and enslave it with drugs.